RAMALLAH, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appointed on Thursday his own spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh as deputy prime minister and minister of information, in a sudden government reshuffle.
Spokesperson for the Palestinian government Yousef Al-Mahmoud said in a press statement that the appointment was made after consultation with Rami Hamdallah, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority.
Rudeineh will be sworn in later Thursday afternoon, it added.
Rudeineh, 66 years old, has served for several years as presidential spokesperson since the tenure of late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. He is considered to be a close confidant of Abbas and member of his Fatah party's central committee.
With this appointment, Rudeineh becomes the second deputy prime minister after Ziad Abu Amr, who was appointed as deputy prime minister of the Palestinian Authority by Abbas in June 2013.
